Being Featured!

Sounds cool eh?!  Well it made me fluff my feathers with pride ;)

I'm excited to share that one of my go to sources for paint colors http://involvingcolor.com, featured the Little Miss' nursery on Friday.

Hop on over and check it out and go see all the amazing rooms she has showcased.  It is an awesome way to see paint colors in action in a normal room.  Her home blog is also amazing.  Check out the link for the incredible before and afters of her house.

A Beach and Bailey (doggie) Nursery for Sweet Baby Sammy

So this post really cracks me up.   When I was writing up the post for the Little Miss' nursery, and wanted to link back to Sammy's I realized I actually never took pictures of Sammy's room once it was complete!  I honestly can't believe I'm two years late in posting these pictures.  That's one for the record books.  

So without further ado, here is the reveal for Sammy's nursery.

The Dali Decal I had designed and the beach and Bailey print we purchased in cape may long before Sammy was even a poppy seed in my belly.  He loves pointing out Bailey every morning.

 

These three Ikea shelves were a last minute edition.  I love them!  They hold so much art.  Sammy loves having pictures of his family in his room too.

 

A few closeups.  The big silver frame is from PBK and was an awesome baby shower gift from my Paul's brother and wife. We love it so much, we bought one for the Little Miss' nursery too.

  

Another wonderful PBK gift from a dear friend for Sammy's dedication.  She even took the picture of him too!

An empty frame still left to fill and a cute shot from our maternity session

The target bookshelf was the last thing we added to his room.  We accumulated a lot of well loved books over the first year and a half of Sammy's life, so this was a needed last edition.  For $80 it looks great too!

I love this shadow box I bought at homegoods.  It holds Sammy's coming home outfit and hat, his footprints from the hospital, his hospital id bracelet and his birth announcement.  I wish I had a matching pink one for his sister's room.

I actually lied, these starfish plaques were the last thing we purchased for Sammy's room.  We got them during our OBX trip this past May.

Paul's mom received an old rocking chair from the church nursery and gifted it to Sammy last summer.  He loved it, even at 9 months, so I refinished it with a quick sanding and spray paint and put it in his room.

So, two years later, the new big brother finally has his nursery revealed.  I hope he continues to love his room and crib for quite a while!

A Teal and Pink Nursery For The LIttle Miss

I absolutely love the way the nursery turned out for the Little Miss.  It makes me laugh because in comparison to Sammy's nursery, second child syndrome definitely reared it's head this time around.  In fact, we didn't finish the nursery until the weekend before we delivered, didn't start it until I was 38 weeks and I am just now getting pictures taken 2 weeks pp.  We even still need to figure out what to put above the crib.  I wanted to buy this piece of art, but it's just too $$ so I'm designing something again from Dali Decals (stay tuned!) Quite hilarious considering we purchased art for Sammy's nursery long before we even started trying to conceive.

This time around my main concern was doing as little work as possible, especially when it came to painting.  I had painted our guest room three years ago and the thought of doing it again so soon wasn't so awesome.  Also, given that I was pregnant with a toddler who is the lightest sleeper ever and loves to "help" I knew chances of getting around to repainting this room were not high.  So, BM chestertown buff the room stayed. 

The nursery design came to me one day when I was looking at the ballard design catalog that had come in the mail during the spring, everything finally clicked when I saw this fabric and just like that I enjoyed some naptime pinterest and I knew what I wanted to do for the Little Miss.

The end result is very timeless and I love that most everything was purchased outside of baby stores.  Since her dresser was Paul's from when he was a kid and the crib was my niece's and the mattress was a gift from Paul's parents we were fortunate to not have to spend much money at all.  Our big expense was a new rocking chair from walmart of all places for $350 shipped.

I had most things purchased for the Little Miss' nursery in stages.  The items I bought two of had nothing to do with different genders, they were just baby items I knew we needed and couldn't share or use from Sammy.

For us with two under two and both in diapers this included:

• Changing pad and cover
• Dresser
• Rocking chair
• Humidifier
• Fan
• Crib
• Mattress
• Bedding
• Bookshelf
• Gender specific decor (rugs, art)

Without further ado, here are the pictures!

Refinished hand me down dresser in Behr Sweet Rhapsody and my favorite hot pink Lack shelf from Ikea.  They even made the Expedit shelf in hot pink, but only in the double size.

Closet with these cute Ikea Bastis Dog hooks (a loved item in Sammy's nursery too), art from a local fair.  Metal flower was a kirklands sidewalk sale find on my way into target.

Originally, I wanted this ikea Expedit shelf as a window bench with some pretty fabric as a cushion.  Once the chair arrived though, the room was just too small.  Womp Womp.  It still looks nice upright, it's just not as fun for the kids.

DIY Lampshade: So much cheaper than purchasing already made

Wrapping Paper Drawer Liner from Homegoods:
So cheap and great for baby since it doesn't have a scent.  With Sammy, I was extra sentimental and used the prettiest paper from his baby shower

Closer up of the crib skirt

 

Art from VOL 25, purchased in 2010 for the guestroom and worked perfectly in the nursery

 

 Source list:

• Nightlight: DIY using this kit and cloud9 fabric from Joann's.  $5
• Letter A: Pinterest inspiration using a cardboard letter and yarn with embellishments from Joann's.  $10
• Art: Local Artist purchased at the fairfax corner art show in Spring of 2013
• Metal Flower: Kirklands $20
• Word Art: Purchased in 2010 from VOL25 an etsy seller.  Total for three $45
• Glider: Walmart Coronado Glider $350 shipped
• Ottoman: JCP Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler Katie Round Pouf $60
• Crib Sheet: Pottery Barn Kids Chamois Sheet. (softest sheet EVER) $29 (used a coupon $15)
• Crib Skirt: Tutorial found on pinterest (we added two additional layers), fabric from joann's my friends Mom sewed this for us.  $20
• Drapery: P. Kaufmann Pooliside silsila fabric with blackout liner (from Joann's ) sewed by my friends mom.  Total after searching high and low for a discount $90
• Changing Pad cover: Minky Fabric from Joann's, sewed by my friend's Mom using this pinterest tutorial.   $7
• Pink Shelf: Ikea Lack Shelf  $17
• Bookshelf: Ikea Expedit  $60
• Floor Lamp: Ikea Vidja  $50
• Rug: Rugs USA, Tuscan Moderno Ombre Pink Rug  $123 shipped
• Dresser: Hand me down from Paul's parents when they moved.  Color is BEHR Sweet Rhapsody, paint and primer in one
• Drawer Liner: Wrapping paper from Homegoods $3
• Blanket: Homegoods
• Pillow: Clearance find from Bed Bath and Beyond $8
• Pom Poms: Party City  $15
• Mobile: 3 Sprouts Peacock $20
• Storage Boxes: 3 Sprouts Peacock purchased at Buy Buy Baby with a $5 off $15 coupon
• Closet: Closet Maid shelving and Martha Stewart Boxes from Home Depot.  Ooops Paint and Bastis dog hooks from Ikea Appx $150 for the closet redo (completed in 2011)

Frugalicious Splurging aka Opportunity Costs

I wrote this post back in mid October and left it as a draft without posting!  D'oh!

So it is time for my quarterly posting ;)

This is a quick catch up because I've been busy with this guy:

Before Sammy came I was in high speed nesting mode.  In fact since I sort of caught the nesting bug a bit late, it carried into my first two weeks post partum big time.  I purged through the whole kitchen my closest, the garage.  It was GREAT!  I hadn't had a house so cleaned since our condo living days when there were only a few rooms and 1,000 sq ft to clean.

My biggest nesting endeavor was finally giving in to my desire for a sectional couch.  Ever since we moved into our home in 2006 I've wanted one.  Originally it was for our basement, but then I realized our family room would be much improved with a nice chocolate aka bailey colored sectional.  So, in case anyone missed marketing 101, my want became a need with operation prep house for Sammy.  I knew it would be great for all the guests that would be filtering in and out of the house looking for a place to sit while admiring our new bundle of cuteness.  It would also be nice for me to be able to comfortably hang out on on main level during the day.

Here are the before and afters of the family room.  I'm looking to change the paint color in the family room/kitchen, any suggestions?  I was aiming towards the blue/grey family:
A very early before, no curtains, rug etc:

After:

What have you changed to get ready for a new addition in the family?

Ask and you shall receive

Do you ever remember hearing "no question is a stupid question"?  Well, I'm a firm believer of that statement because sometimes it is better to ask a question then to look stupid because you didn't know later.  I've taken this school house catch phrase one step further and have no fear in asking for a discount.  Honestly, the worst they can say is no and then you are no where different than when you started off, so why not?

My theory best presented itself when we bought our new fridge last year.  Paul could tell you lots of stories where I've embarrassed him because I asked a question; this time though, he was so happy when I asked this one!  Since the day we moved in, we had loathed the fridge that came with our house.  It was a builders grade side by side that had gone through the previous 3 owners; it fit approximately 2 items in the freezer and had to get fixed by GE several times.  As I said in our earlier post, we always buy in bulk, so freezer space is of the utmost importance and a working freezer even more so.  Here is a picture of the old fridge:

So needless to say, we'd been on the hunt for a new fridge for close to three years.  We'd been wanting a french door freezer, but unable to stomach the 2-3k price tag held off until one day on a window shopping extravaganza at the Lowes in Chantilly we came upon this beauty, marked down from $2,700 to $1,500.

I noticed a scratch on the bottom side of the door and asked the clerk if he could mark it down some more.  He said sure how about $1,200 and I said, well I can take it for $1,100 and then off we went skipping to the register hand in hand with big smiles plastered on (I know we are so cute aww).  Come to find out they'd later bring it down to $750 because of a whole series of sattirical events which included pressing buttons, spoiled food and a lot of stairs....  I then sold my old side by side for $250 instead of letting lowes haul a perfectly good fridge away to a landfill.  So we were, the proud owners of my brand spanking new $3,000 fridge for $500!  Everyday when I open my fridge (we call her Sammy), or get some nice cold filtered water (something impossible on our old fridge), I'm happy I asked for a discount because of a stratch a little marker eradicated once we got home.

Now on to the Lowes in Chantilly, if you live in VA and need something get there now!  They have a much better selection than the HD right down the street from us.  Plus they know what the are talking about, want to help you and always have HUGE clearance sections all over the store.  My friend Kari bought a beautiful bath vanity with a small crack in the granite top for $45 (origianl price with attached faucet and glass bowal well over $500).  We ended up buying a washer and dryer from them a few months ago for almost 65% off!  They are beautiful glittery blue Sammys that actually make me happy to do laundry.

I also got most of our summer flowers from them on clearance.  Big wave petunias for .45 cents!  Yes, .45 cents, they are normally $4!  I also got a whole tray of geraniums 18 for $5.  Costco sold them 10 for $25 and honestly my tip is if you have trouble watering, don't think fancy flowers from a nursery are going to do any better.  Expensive flowers and clearance flowers both die if you don't water them (go back to 9th grade bio and remember photosynthesis, it will help you have a green thumb).

Now go ask away!

Shop Around

So I realize I might be in the minority here, but it really pays to shop around and not agree to your first quoted price.  I learned this first hand when planning our wedding in 2004.  With so many of my friends now getting married, I keep trying to convey this message all why wondering why are weddings so expensive again (5-8 hours of your life, dont' forget that)?!

After our wedding, our first major inquiry was for granite in our condo back in 2005 (sad fact..still no granite for me and I'm in my 2nd house).  My first and highest granite quote in our new house was from Costco at $6,500 and our cheapest but surprisingly highest quality was from PMG at $2,500.  Both were for grade 1 granite fully installed for 65 sq ft, what a HUGE price difference.  I met with four other vendors who all fell somewhere in between.  Costco's quote threw me for a loop because they are never that much more than their competitors and I started thinking I'd never have granite.  When we went to have our carpet redone, I had crazy quotes from them as well (8k for the same quality as carpet city's 2k quote).

One of the projects we waited the longest to tackle was our small postage stamp sized front yard.

I had wanted stacked stone in our front since we moved in the house in 2006.  It was in March 2010 when we finally bit the bullet and hired someone.  The back to back hemorrhaging of snow in DC helped solidify our plans because it broke many of the branches on our horribly annoying tree. 
This stupid tree shed dime sized leaves for months, almost until it was time for the new leaves to come out in the spring.  Imagine racking that up year after year?!  From the front of the house, the tree looked fine, but from inside, it looked like a cake with a big slice taken out of it!  I was overjoyed because it meant the tree had met D-Day.

Note the leaves still on the tree!

Normally this endeavor would have been a DIY project, but after getting the quotes in, I realized the opportunity cost of not having to fight with Paul about how he may or may not be doing something wrong and vice versa for 12-18 hours was probably well worth it.  If you haven't seen us doing DIY before, get a soda and some popcorn and be ready for some good old American family entertainment.

Our landscape project started with a fun Sunday trip to the Dulles Expo Home Show (I met vendors for granite there too).  The highlight for me was I got to meet the cutest of hosts on HGTV's curb appeal John Gidding and we got to get at least 8 quotes right on the spot for granite and the landscaping design.

After the show, we met with small sized nurseries, private landscape designers and big nurseries like meadow farms.  Economies of scale came into play here and quotes ranged from 2k to what we chose $336!

We choose Joe Hudgins of Meadow Farms Nursery.  He was amazing to work with as he is a really friendly man with an old country charm.  He itemized everything on his quote and allowed me to pick and choose which of the services and products he would render.  His quote was originally high ($1,500) but as we decided which items we could DIY, we had shaved off almost $1,200.  We ended up taking the tree out ourselves; saving us $300, provided our own soil and mulch, surprisingly saving close to $300.  They were going to charge us $9 a bag for mulch and top soil, we paid $3 a bag for mulch and .98 c for top soil at Home Depot.  Getting all the home was a B but well worth the savings.  We also went to the nursery ourselves and picked out our tree saving us $300 and chose to plant it ourselves which saved another $150.  The men from the nursery showed up on a glorious May afternoon and in a matter of two hours were done with our beautiful retaining wall.  I planted three peonies and my clearance petunias, laid some mulch and voila.

My .45 cent petunias!

By 7 pm I was off to dinner with our friends no back pain and most importantly a happy, not cranky husband in tow.  Had Paul and I done this ourselves, buying the stone would have probably cost about $200 and it would have taken us a full weekend, so as I said earlier opportunity cost, opportunity cost.